To any kind of twitcher living in the South-East of England, spotting a tree full of noisy green Parakeets could now be as commonplace as noting a flock of native starlings or jackdaws. I love seeing these birds in my local parks of North & East London. To hear that distinctive high-pitched squawk instantly sends my head skywards to try & catch a flash of the bright green whizzing by.

Many people wonder how such an exotic, tropical creature has managed to settle into the cold, damp climate of the UK. However, the natural habitat of the Ring-tailed Parakeet is actually the rainy foothills of Himalaya, while they’ve even been found in the region’s higher, snowier altitudes.

I’ve heard all kinds of interesting stories of how these birds managed to settle in this country. One common rumour is that a breeder from South West London released a flock during the 1950s. I’ve also heard that they simply escaped from the Shepperton set of the African Queen in 1951. However, my favourite theory is that rock star Jimi Hendrix bred them whilst living in West London during the 1960s – maybe Little Wing is written about his pet birds…..?